Desideratum
by appleblossom48
Summary: Desideratum: something needed. In a world of ancient deities and epic quests, it is the belief of the mortals that sustains the gods. Even with the gods' years of experience and ruling from afar, sometimes all it takes is a mortal to set things straight.
1. Chapter 1

**Desideratum**

Desideratum (noun): something wanted or needed

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The waves crashed angrily on the beach, long fingers of foamy white combing the sand into an abstract of incomprehensible lines. A deep roaring sound rose from the blue waters and mixed with the keening of the wind above, the two tones creating an eerie melody that echoed against the nearby cliffs. In the midst of the chaos, hidden amongst the long grasses of the beach, there sat a small cabin.

The wood was a worn brown, with chinking that might have been white at some point, but now shone a dirty gray. Battered shutters framed surprisingly clean windows, and a small stone path led from the front door down to the edge of the water.

It was here, at the end of the path, that a small girl could be seen. She didn't seem to be bothered by the cacophony surrounding her, or the wind that tore at her short hair. In fact, her entire attention was focused on a small sand castle that sat at her feet, and her brow furrowed in concentration as she observed her creation.

The wind died down for a moment, leaving behind an unnatural silence. It was just then that an elder woman appeared at the door to the hut, her brown eyes scouring the shoreline and landing on the child.

"Sarah!" the woman called. "This is your last warning, come in now!"

The girl—Sarah—looked towards the speaker. She hesitated, shooting a longing glance towards at the castle she had been working so hard on, but the watchful gaze of the elder woman kept Sarah moving until she had reached the house and was safely inside.

The end of September was fast approaching when Sarah met the strange man. She had been out on the beach, determined to make the most of her little playground before the weather grew too cold, and she had spotted him sitting a little ways down the shore, staring into the sea.

Curiosity peaked, Sarah approached the man, albeit cautiously. Her mother had warned her time and again to never talk to strangers, but nobody ever came down to this part of the beach, and so Sarah couldn't help but wonder who he was. Besides, the man looked nice. Dark hair covered his head and decorated his face in a neat beard. Khaki Bermuda shorts blended in with the sandy beach, while a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt stood out above everything else.

Before Sarah knew it she was standing directly behind the man, who seemed to take no notice of her presence. She half expected him to jump in surprise when she finally reached out to hesitantly tap his shoulder, but still the man gave no response. Gathering her courage, Sarah seated herself next to the man and gazed up into his face.

"Hey mister, are you alright?" she questioned, overly aware of how large the man was in comparison to her small frame. The man's face remained unmoved, as if he hadn't heard her. Sarah stared at him in confusion for a while longer, shifting uncomfortably, before deciding that perhaps she needed to leave. She was startled when the man finally spoke, his voice deep and resonant.

"Thank you for asking, little one." He said. "I'm fine, just have a lot on my mind." The man turned towards Sarah, and she felt calmed by the kind light he seemed to have in his eyes.

Feeling encouraged and somewhat emboldened by the man's friendly response, Sarah addressed the stranger again.

"My Papa says he's got a lot on his mind too, but when he starts to get too cranky, Mama sits him down and makes him tell her what's wrong." She offered. Ducking her head shyly, Sarah studied the multicolored grains of sand beneath her as she continued.

"Um…if you want…" she began, "If you want you could tell me what's wrong." Sarah rushed the end of her offer, afraid of being too nosy, like some of the kids at school said. To her immense surprise, the man broke out into a deep booming laughter.

"Share my problems with you, eh?" The man laughed again, and Sarah hesitantly joined.

"While I appreciate the offer, there are some things I'm afraid I'll just have to figure out on my own." The man answered, not unkindly, but with somewhat of a sad look on his face. Sarah suddenly felt very sorry for the poor man who sat alone on the beach with too much on his mind. In a way, he reminded her of Papa— desperately in need of advice but unable to turn to anyone for help.

"That's stupid." Sarah wrinkled her nose as she talked to emphasize her distaste. "Nobody should have to figure out hard problems on their own. Mama and Papa help me whenever I don't understand math."

The man glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, amused.

"Be that as it may," he said. "I'm afraid this problem is not something for a little girl, even one as mature as yourself."

Sarah blushed at the compliment, but refused to give up her argument.

"Fine then," she compromised. "You don't have to tell me, but there must be _somebody_ you can talk to!"

The man gave another quiet chuckle.

"There is nobody who understands the facts better then I do. This problem is my own."

Sarah held back a sigh, suddenly exasperated by the stupid adult who wouldn't just listen. How could she make him understand?

"Maybe_ this_ problem is something you can figure out, but everybody needs help sometimes!" she argued. Her little blonde head swung wildly as she searched for inspiration, her gaze landing on the water. "It's like…like the sea!" she exclaimed triumphantly. The man raised his eyebrow, so Sarah elaborated.

"Your problem is like the sea." She rephrased. "I play out on the beach every day. I know the whole shoreline really well, but all I ever get to see of the ocean is the waves and the pretty different shades of blue." Sarah took a breath and continued.

"But Papa took me on a snorkeling trip once." She couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"The water that had looked the same for so long was totally different underneath! There were so many pretty fish and plants, and it was all really colorful. From underneath, the sea didn't look anything like I was used to. It was so cool!"

Sarah glanced at the man to see if he understood.

"So maybe, all you need is for someone else to look at whatever is bothering you, right? Maybe they'll see something different." Sarah finished her little speech, and for a moment the two sat there in silence, Sarah awkwardly searching for something else to say and the man with a surprised expression on his face. The silence was broken when the stranger once again broke out into his deep booming laughter.

"Like the sea." He muttered, shaking his head and looking down at Sarah.

"Perhaps you're right." He said. Sarah felt a blush dust her cheeks and she raised her head a little in pride.

"Of course I'm right." She bragged, and the man reached down to ruffle her hair.

"Thank you for the advice," he said, "but I have to go. It was nice meeting you…" the man trailed off, his green eyes searching her face expectantly.

"Sarah." She supplied.

"Sarah," he repeated, before muttering under his breath once more, "Like the sea! What a strange metaphor."

Sarah watched as the man got up and ruffled her hair again before turning and strolling down the beach, occasionally chuckling under his breath at some unheard joke. Within minutes the stranger was nothing but a small speck in the distance. Sarah waited until he had completely disappeared before turning and running back towards her house, hoping to be at the door to greet Mama when she arrived.

The next day, Sarah once again returned to her little patch of beach to resume construction on her sand castle. By now the construct was nearly up to her waist in height, and rapidly gaining detail. As she approached the castle, something on top of the tallest turret caught her eye. A seashell, placed on the very tip of the tower, shone in the sunlight. Reaching forward to pick it out, Sarah took a moment to admire the shell's beauty before tucking it into her dress to show to Mama later. She could have sworn as she turned to the rest of the castle that the words _Thank You_ were carved into the sand with elegant script, but the waves washed up and over the beach before Sarah could double check, erasing all evidence. Shrugging, Sarah turned and began her work. The sea behind her gently lapped against the shore in a soft rhythm, the calmest it had been in days.


	2. Chapter 2

Desideratum (noun): something wanted or needed

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians

John sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he walked briskly down the cereal aisle, ignoring the brightly colored packages that surrounded him on all sides. Stepping out into the open space at the end of the walkway, he spared a moment and allowed his eyes to roam the small store.

At 11 o'clock a.m., the aisles were mostly empty, the only patrons being three or four elderly couples out shopping for their weekly rations. Turning his attention back to his original destination—the office—John began walking once more, maneuvering around large boxes filled with clearance items and squeezing between two closed checkout lines.

He had almost reached the office when he was distracted again, this time by a frustrated noise. Turning to find the source of the sound, John found himself face to face with one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.

She was standing near the magazine rack, cradling a glossy edition of _People_ in perfectly manicured hands. Golden hair spilled across her shoulders and down her back, forming perfect ringlets on her smooth arms. The woman gave another discontented groan, and John hesitantly made his way towards her, more than a little intimidated by her expensive looking clothes and irritated demeanor.

"Is everything all right m'am?" he questioned, eyes skimming the magazine rack to ensure that everything was in its place.

"No, everything is _not_ alright!" The blonde replied in a huff. "It's these idiotic celebrity marriages! They've all got so much potential—handsome guys and gorgeous girls—but every time a romance even starts to build, something happens to tear it down. I've got absolutely nothing to work with! I swear it's like somebody is spiting me. What's the fun of a relationship where nobody's even in love?"

As she spoke, the woman waved the magazine angrily in John's face, forcing him to step back a little. Confused by the spontaneous and rather violent speech he had just been given by a total stranger, John desperately tried to remember how one was supposed to handle situations like these. Customer relations had never been his forte, and now it was coming back to bite him.

"If the magazines offend you miss, you can always file a complaint with management." He suggested weakly. The woman glanced up and stared at John in confusion for a moment, as if she had just realized whom she was addressing. Finally, she spoke.

"No, no, it's not the store's fault. You can't control all of the trouble these so called 'superstars' get themselves into. Thank you for offering, though."

Despite her refusal to file a complaint, the woman seemed somewhat appeased by John's offer, so he hurried to pull out his wallet.

"Here," he said, flipping open the worn leather and pulling out a card, "take this just in case. The number at the bottom is customer service, to call if you're bothered by anything else."

Pleased with a job well done and wondering if his boss would give him a raise for being helpful, John was surprised when the woman reached out and caught his wrist before he could tuck his wallet back into his pants.

"Who's that?" she asked, pointing a polished fingernail at a picture next to his credit card. John let a small smile light his face as he gazed down at the photograph. It had been taken a few months before, when he and his family were visiting relatives on the beach. The picture showed a young brunette with soft brown eyes sitting on the sand. In one arm she cradled a small bundle of blankets, and the other hand rested fondly on a small bump in her stomach.

"That's my wife, Ellie, and our little girl Megan." John explained. "Megan's only a year old, but she has a little brother due sometime in May." John could only beam in pride when he thought about the little boy he would soon be a father to. His sentimental thoughts were cut off by a high squeal that sounded right next to his ear.

"That's your wife?" The woman asked enthusiastically. "How sweet! You guys are so cute, how long have you been together? Are you excited about being parents? Where did you meet?"

John blinked, thrown off by the sudden and rather unexpected onset of questions that were being thrown his way. Attempting to gather his bearings, he stuttered out a few answers.

"Um…thanks…two years this Friday, very…and in a coffee shop in Queens."

"Your anniversary is _this _Friday?" the woman repeated, suddenly looking rather devious. "Well then, you must have plans, what are you going to do for her? Please tell me, this is just so exciting!"

John was reluctant to share his romantic plans, or rather _lack_ of romantic plans with this stranger, but for some reason he found himself telling her anyway.

"I don't really know. I don't have the time or money to take her out somewhere really expensive, and even then, little Megan would need watching. I was thinking maybe I could buy her flowers, and then cook dinner…" John paused, unaware that he had trailed off mid-sentence. He really did want to do something nice for his Ellie. She had worked so hard all year, taking care of their little girl and squeezing in whatever work she could on the side.

The blonde woman patted his shoulder for a moment in sympathy, before giving a bright smile and reaching into the small, jeweled purse she had hanging off of her arm.

"Here." She pulled out a small slip of paper. "It's the number of this great sitter I know, good service for really low prices. Also, take this." She once again searched through her purse until she drew out her hand, clutching a few green bills and handing them to John.

He was still wondering why in the world such a young, beautiful, and obviously high-class woman would need a sitter for low prices, so it took him a minute to process the small 100's on the bills. When he finally realized what he was holding John started a little and began to protest.

"I couldn't possibly, really." He stammered out, shoving the money back towards the woman. She took a step back and held up her arms, as if fending off an attack.

"Please take it." She begged with a smile. "You've been so nice, and you've really helped me quite a lot. Besides, that beautiful wife of yours deserves some spoiling, and I simply love setting up a perfect date. It just gives such a sense of accomplishment!"

Reluctantly, John withdrew his hand and carefully tucked the sitter's number and the bills back into his wallet.

"Thank you so much. You're very kind." He said. The woman turned from where she was already heading towards the sliding doors.

"No problem at all." She responded cheerfully. " The pleasure was all mine. Have a nice day now." She gave one final wave before exiting the store. Peering through the windows, John could just see her climbing into a bright red sports car in the parking lot and driving away. He stood there stunned for a moment more before breaking out in a large smile, already planning what he could do for his Ellie that Friday. It was only when a fellow co-worker exited the office and asked him if he was okay that he remembered where he had been headed and hurried through the pale green door to meet with his boss.

**A/N: **Thanks so much to Mercury Gray for a great review. I'm still new to fanfiction, so any constructive criticism is appreciated! : )


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